Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enable GPs to prescribe antivirals, including Paxlovid, for the treatment of Covid in accordance with NICE evaluations.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on whether licensed medicines, including antivirals for COVID-19, should be recommended for routine National Health Service funding are made independently by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), on the basis of the evidence of costs and benefits.
The NICE recommends the antiviral Paxlovid, a combination of nirmatrelvir plus ritonavir, as an option for treating COVID-19 in adults, only if they do not need supplemental oxygen for COVID-19, and they have any of the following:
A phased implementation of the NICE’s recommendations on Paxlovid has been agreed, to allow more time for the NHS to put in place the capacity and infrastructure needed for the full rollout to all eligible patients. Prescribers, including general practitioners, are currently able to prescribe Paxlovid to NHS patients at the highest risk of severe COVID-19, in line with the approach to rollout set out in the NICE’s guidance.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why Russian companies supplying aircraft parts to the Myanmar military have been sanctioned while Chinese companies supplying jets have not.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since the coup in February 2021, the UK has announced sanctions on 25 individuals and 39 entities under the Myanmar Sanctions Regulations, targeting the military's access to resources, funds and equipment. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review, and it would not be appropriate to speculate about future sanctions as to do so could reduce their impact. The UK is clear that countries should not sell arms, including aircraft parts, to the Myanmar military.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have reviewed contingency plans for British citizens and embassy staff in Myanmar to address any possible collapse or defeat of the Myanmar military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The FCDO requires all our Missions overseas to have the right crisis practices, procedures, systems and structures in place to respond to a range of scenarios overseas. The British Embassy Yangon has such plans which are regularly reviewed. We continue to monitor the situation in Myanmar closely. We advise all British Nationals in Myanmar to pay close attention to the FCDO's travel advice for Myanmar.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing for demining projects in areas of Myanmar not under the control of the military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government does not fund any demining projects in Myanmar, as demining organisations are not permitted to conduct mine clearance activities there. Risk education is permitted, and this financial year the FCDO's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) is providing £600,000 in funding for UK NGO the HALO Trust and Mines Advisory Group to deliver this activity. Humanitarian mine action is a neutral activity, and the GMAP Myanmar programme currently delivers risk education to at risk groups and communities where conditions allow, regardless of who is in control.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided for determining which infrastructure projects in Myanmar are not under the control of the military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are clear UK businesses should not work with the Myanmar military. The UK's Overseas Business Risk Guidance encourages UK businesses to conduct their own enhanced due diligence before making any investments, to ensure they do not enter into commercial relationships directly with the military or with their supply chain. To inform our Myanmar sanctions strategy, we conduct thorough research to identify military linked companies and their beneficial owners. Since the coup, we have announced 14 rounds of sanctions, which have limited the military's access to arms, revenue and equipment.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent British companies' involvement in Myanmar’s gas industry which may facilitate revenue for the Myanmar military.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We are unaware of any British companies providing services to Myanmar's gas sector. Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has led international efforts to reduce the military's access to revenue, arms and equipment. To prevent the military from profiting from natural resource extraction, we have imposed extensive sanctions on the regime and its associated businesses. We have also strengthened our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to warn companies of the risks associated with Myanmar's extractive sector. We will continue to do all we can to cut the military's access to revenue, through sanctions and non-sanctions measures.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the British insurance companies providing services to the gas extraction and export industry in Myanmar.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
We recognise that Myanmar's gas extraction sector is a vital source of revenue for the military. We are unaware of any British companies providing services to this sector. Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has led international efforts to reduce the military's access to revenue, arms and equipment. To prevent the military from profiting off natural resource extraction, we have imposed extensive sanctions on the regime and its associated businesses. We have also strengthened our Overseas Business Risk Guidance, to warn companies of the risks associated with Myanmar's extractive sector. We will continue to do all we can to cut the military's access to revenue, through both sanctions and non-sanctions measures.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to impose aviation fuel sanctions on the Burmese military following the most recent air attack by the Tatmadaw on a music festival that killed 80 and injured hundreds.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
In response to the Myanmar military's airstrikes in Kachin State, which killed a large number of innocent civilians, the British Embassy in Yangon joined a statement with the US, Canadian, Australian, EU, Norwegian and Swiss embassies to condemn the attacks.
The UK is exploring both sanction and non-sanction measures to tackle the Myanmar military's air capabilities and ability to target civilians. On 28 February 2022, the UK updated its Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that commodities such as aviation fuel do not reach the Myanmar military.
Since the military coup in Myanmar on 1 February 2021, the UK Government has imposed 12 tranches of sanctions targeting the military's leadership, and its access to revenue, arms and military equipment.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarding the pending executions of four Myanmar political prisoners, including the democracy activists (1) Phyo Zeya Thaw, and (2) Ko Jimmy.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is deeply concerned by reports that the military have sentenced pro-democracy activists and leaders, including Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy, to death. Both Minister Milling, and the British Embassy in Yangon, have made it clear that the UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We once again call on the military regime to respect human rights and the rule of law. We continue to use all available fora to raise these concerns, including raising privately with ASEAN counterparts.
Asked by: Baroness Nye (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised the pending executions of four Myanmar political prisoners including the democracy activists (1) Phyo Zeya Thaw, and (2) Ko Jimmy, with their UN Security Council counterparts.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is deeply concerned by reports that the military have sentenced pro-democracy activists and leaders, including Phyo Zeya Thaw and Ko Jimmy, to death. Both Minister Milling, and the British Embassy in Yangon, have made it clear that the UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances. We once again call on the military regime to respect human rights and the rule of law. We continue to use all available multilateral fora, including the UN Security Council (UNSC), to raise these concerns. On 8 December 2021, the UK secured a UNSC Press Statement condemning the sentencing of pro-democracy leaders and calling for the release of all those in arbitrary detention.